Changed some things. Wife thinks its better but that the rocks on the left are too pointy. I think she's right again. Gonna have to let this sit and come back to it at a later date. I need to move on to the next one. Hey...they can't all be masterpieces, right?

Last edited by Pooch on Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think all you need to do is sign it in the lower right hand corner in the water area. Your signature will balance off the pointy rocks. I like the rocks. They give a feeling of moving up a hill visually supporting the uphill directionality of the train. This is a good painting. While I also listen to my wife there is a point where I tell her that if I did everything she told me to do it would become her painting, not mine. There are times we look so hard at our work and work so hard for a certain look that we numb out. Put it away for about a month or so then bring it out for another look. You will see what I mean.

Thank you Joseph. I suggest you put it somewhere that you won't see it every day. After awhile pull it out and look at it. Also, at that time look at it in a frame. I believe you will be surprised. I have started work on Grand Canyon V. Can't wait to see how that one turns out. Like I have said before, said best in my dialog posts in Grand Canyon IV, I start with a vague idea of what I want, map out the basics and somewhere while painting, the painting has a conversation with me about how it wants to be finished. Most pleasant, so long as I don't let this autistic behavior take over to far. Happy painting my friend.

Well, now. Funny you should say that because that is actually how I paint, also. I just start out with a vague idea. This one, for instance. I wanted to paint an old steam engine going over a bridge. I start laying down paint not really knowing the details yet. The train was originally going over an steel trestle type bridge. I decided that I didn't like that at all and painted over it. Then I started looking for photos of stone bridges. Found one I liked that had lots of rocks at the bottom. I liked that idea and expanded on it. I made my river smaller and placed boulders on either side. Now it was turning into something I liked. I also originally had the loco pulling an old green heavyweight passenger car. But it bothered me. It went off to the left side of the canvas. That was a no no. Painted THAT out and replaced it with the caboose! Sounds like a crazy way to work, and is wasteful of paint but I'd rather think while I'm putting paint down instead of staring at a white canvas. It works for me.

Okay, your problem is basically due to color. The painting is very cold, lots of cool colors with the only warm color being the caboose(?).

So I did a quick Photoshop alteration. Add yellow to the bridge, add brown to the train and the smoke (I only added some brown to the train in this alteration). Reduce the vibrancy of the blue in the sky. Add either blue or green to the shadows in the rocks (I didn't do this, it would have taken too much time). Add some warm colors to the greenery (I didn't do that either), yellow/red flowers or dead grass, something like that. Darken some of the shadows in the closer rocks.

Nice job Joseph Bellofatto. I agree with the need to add color focusing the attention to the center of the canvas. I see you also sharpened the rocks as I had suggested. Kind of leads the viewer into the painting. However, I would not add some warm colors to the greenery. I would darken the base part of the plants and the shadows. Probably give the same viewer attention but it would present a different visual feeling to the painting.